Another name I meant to include in the list of potential new names/youngsters above is Sávio. He offers width and can play on both wings, I think. Was with the U20s before and would be on the U23s except that he is a starter for Girona so of course he wouldn't have been released for the pré-olímpico. Also, Danilo and João Gomes continue to get regular playing time for Forest and Wolves. The Flamengo connection with Dorival could mean a first call-up for João Gomes.
Dunga came out with comments on a YouTube interview which may be interpreted as an indireta against Tite. "Eu não sou crítico. Eu acho o seguinte: ele falou que se preparou oito, 10 anos para a Copa do Mundo e chegou ao mesmo lugar que eu, que não tinha experiência. Quer que eu seja polêmico? Eu não coloquei minha mãe para dar entrevista na Globo, eu não fiz propaganda para ninguém, não falei que eu era o melhor. Os caras foram bater na minha casa para eu ser treinador. Então, assim, no futebol muitas pessoas vendem uma coisa... todo mundo é bom, todo mundo tem defeito. A gente tem que analisar por aquilo que aconteceu, pela realidade"Sem experiência, imagina se eu tivesse experiência." Renato Portaluppi, another gaúcho, said in an interview to "Abre Aspas:" "cara, eu vou te falar uma coisa. Vou te falar sinceramente, se eu fosse chamado para a seleção agora, eu não iria. Com todo o respeito. Nessa bagunça, eu estou fora. Graças a Deus ninguém me chamou. Eu não iria. Do jeito que está a situação na CBF, independente de quem quer que seja o presidente da CBF, mas ela tem que tomar vergonha na cara. Para o bem do futebol brasileiro…" Portaluppi further stated he would not be open to a job offer to a club or national team if that said club or national team still had a manager in place.
I think the Dunga comments reveal more about how upset he is about how the press sees him and his failure than anything else. I don't think he was trying to be petty, but it's like he couldn't help but frame it in a way that came off petty. I like the Renato interview. A lot of people are saying it's easy for him to say he wouldn't take the job, because he's not being offered it, but I kind of believe him. And while I'm not his biggest fan, I think it's good to have a coach saying these things about CBF.
Thinking ahead to Dorival's first convocação - Goalkeepers: I think this is going to be the usual Alisson, Ederson +1. With Lucas Perri on the bench at Lyon I don't think he'll get the number 3 spot. Add the fact that Dorival mentioned brining in more players in Brazil to the fact that often the 3rd keeper was in Brazil and if we build on the work already done, I think we probably get Bento, who was called up by Diniz but cut due to injury and has been was often talked about as possible 3rd choice. The questions are whether Dorival has someone he likes in mind. Is there someone he worked with recently? I don't think he's about to take Rafael (SP) or Matheus Cunha or Hugo Souza from his Flamengo stint. Maybe he sees Weverton as the best option and brings him back. There are a few options in Europe but considering what he said I don't expect him to bring in a third keeper from there. I don't expect a youth keeper to make it. Mycael is very good (despite his error against Paraguay) but I'm not going to bet on any of the U23s based on the current tournament. So my guess is Alisson, Ederson, Bento. The third keeper could be anyone though and could give us some insight into just how much he relies on trusted names or outside the box options. If we don't hear Alisson, Ederson among those first three names... we could be in for a very unpredictable call-up. EDIT: Who are the other keepers, in Brazil or elsewhere, that could be on the radar? EDIT: I shouldn't forget João Paulo. Since the Brasileirão doesn't start until April he's still a first division keeper. He could move to another team by March, but regardless, is doing well at Santos in the Paulistão and still an option.
Yep, Dunga is sour how the media treats and portrays him. But hey, as he admits himself, he didn't treat the media well. And I am not talking about cutting exclusive access that Globo had. I am also confused at what Robinho disallowed goal he is talking about that he claims it took the ref 5 mins to cancel. There is only one I remember at the beginning of the game with the score at 0 x 0 that was rightly called off almost immediately. His insinuation that there were higher powers at play is simply ridiculous. He needs to take responsibility for the defeat. I feel bad because that team, even with its limitations, was well trained and actually very good at what it did. I don't know how we would have matched up against that Spain who were at their peak, but we should have gone further.
I will always say that the first half of the Quarterfinal against The Netherlands was not only the best football played by Brazil at the 2010 World Cup but it was also the best football played by any team at the 2010 World Cup.
Looks like former defender Juan will take the job as coordinator. He was at Flamengo and Dorival asked CBF to approach him: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/...-deixa-o-flamengo-para-trabalhar-na-cbf.ghtml The new director, Rodrigo Caetano, still hasn't officially been announced and wasn't involved in this hire. Both he and Juan are expected to be officially announced before March 1.
Thinking ahead to Dorival's first convocação - Defenders: Central defense for now. I am not including players in the Middle East. I think Ibañez and Veríssimo might remain on the radar for a bit but aren't likely to compete, especially in an area where we have depth. Diniz called Marquinhos, Gabriel and Nino. He also called Bremer twice. Ibañez made the first call-up but that was it. Adryelson also came in as a replacement once. I think Marquinhos, Gabriel and Bremer are very likely. For now, if I have to guess I'd guess all three, but again, if Dorival really sees things differently, even these likely picks could be replaced. I think Nino's move to Russia puts him on the outside looking in again. Militão is expected back for Copa América, but for March I am guessing Beraldo for the fourth spot. He was one of the best prospects in the Brasileirão, played for Dorival and has transitioned smoothly to PSG, starting most of their recent league and Cup matches. The one thing I'll be looking out for before the convocação is for signs that Dorival might call Thiago Silva back. I expect when we start hearing speculation about the call up we might get some news about that. With Danilo and Casemiro as veterans likely to be called in for their positions I am not betting Also, I expect to hear speculation about some of the young prospects like Natan, who is now at Napoli and less subject to the pressure he had on him in Brazil, and Murillo, who is starting every match for Nottingham Forest and standing out. Or Robert Renan now that he's back in Brazil. I don't think any of the U23/U20 options will be on the radar right away though. Leo Ortiz was on Tite's radar and remains a standout defender in Brazil, so could he be a surprise call-up if Dorival is looking inwards? There's a lot of depth in this position. What other names should be considered? Do you think it will be as simple as Marquinhos, Bremer, Gabriel +1? Or will Dorival have some unique ideas?
Brazil will train at Arsenal's HQ for the March friendly with England: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...-arsenal-para-estreia-de-dorival-junior.ghtml Convocação on March 1, apresentação on March 18 Dorival will spend most of February in Europe, attending matches and meeting players: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...conversar-com-jogadores-sobre-a-selecao.ghtml
Thinking ahead to Dorival's first convocação - Full-backs: We all know this is where the biggest question marks are. And since today Yan Couto got badly burned against Real Madrid, you might think I would rule him out. But I won't. I think he's got a serious chance if Dorival wants an offensive full-back on the right. If you go back the link in this post, you'll see some of the possible ideas Dorival could use. Even though we have our star attacker on the left, though, doesn't mean we will have an offensive full-back on the right and a defensive one to protect the left. You could see an offensive full-back on the left to support Vini and give him options, and a defensive one on the right to balance things... or because we don't have many options. All of that said, I think that once again, Danilo is a safe bet. He brings leadership, can join the midfield in the ways that Dorival uses in the examples in that post and continues to start most Juventus games as the right-sided defender in a back 3, alongside Bremer. There are many young or untested options on the right, and I don't really have a pick. Yan Couto? Vanderson (who is also mostly an ala)? Pepê, who isn't really a full-back? Emerson who isn't even playing recently? Vinicius Tobias who is still at Castilla? Rodinei??? I don't think this is a position where recent Dorival teams will be a factor. He had Rodinei at Flamengo and Rafinha at São Paulo. The best right-backs in Brazil are older, like Samuel Xavier. So I don't see an easy answer there. Arthur, the option for the U20s last year, is out injured long-term. Khellven is having an ok pré-olímpico, but not great, nothing that would warrant a senior call-up. If I had to guess, I'd say Danilo, plus one of the recent youngsters, like Vanderson or Yan Couto. On the left, things aren't that much better. Caio Henrique is out injured, but he's just one of many options that needs to be tested. In a way it's shakier because we can't rely on bringing back Alex Sandro like we might rely on Danilo on the other side. A simple call-up might be Carlos Augusto and Arana. I don't see Renan Lodi and Alex Telles as options, since they're in the Saudi league, but it's possible Dorival could select them. Ayrton Lucas is another player with recent call-ups who could be counted on. The one new name a lot of people want to see is Samuel Lino. He could certainly make it, but like Yan Couto and Vanderson on the right, he's used to playing as an ala, with a back 3 behind him. But here are other untapped options too: Wendell, one of the Brazilians doing well with Porto right now, could be a wild card here. Rogério, who was at Sassuolo and moved to Wolfsburg, should be on the radar. Other alternatives I can think of: Abner Vinicius was our full-back in the 2021 Olympics, but hasn't really evolved as much as I had hoped. The U23 options aren't killing it or "pedindo passagem" as we say (Rikelme and Kaiki). Maybe a Vanderlan or Luan Candido could be on Dorival's radar. Who else is out there? Who am I forgetting? Is this the position that Dorival was thinking of when he said he would be bringing in more Brazilian league players?
Thinking ahead to Dorival's first convocação - Midfield: This represents more names in the convocação (with 6 names usually, as opposed to 4 CDs) but I also think there are fewer questions. With Casemiro back from injury I expect he'll be called in. He has been decent since coming back, but I hope he becomes a back-up option this year, there for leadership more so than playing time. Douglas Luiz has to be on the list. He's been amazing this season and should have been called in more often last year. Bruno Guimarães is also a safe bet. I think he has disappointed recently but I would still have him on the bench. I think the first question is if André will be among Dorival's picks. He's a very capable young option, but then so is João Gomes, who Dorival had at Flamengo. I don't think we'll get 5 defensive or central mids, so if I had to pick one, right now I'd guess JG. I don't really see any likely surprise names, but we can throw some out there. There's Danilo of course. Ederson at Atalanta has been the target of some speculation. I also don't see a surprise youth call-up like Pablo Maia or Andrey Santos. Joelinton is out injured. From Porto I do think Pepê could make it, but I'm putting him below with some more offensive options. For offensive midfield positions, Paquetá should finally be called back, as long as he's expected to be fit. And I think Veiga, because he was consistently called last year is a likely pick too. Maybe Dorival picks Gérson though, or maybe he even picks both. As for Pepê, he could pop up here or as a versatile option elsewhere again. My big question is if Dorival is projecting a line-up with 3 or 4 mids and how that will shape these last slots. I don't see a Claudinho, but I'm sure he's on the radar. In the end, I'd pick the 4 defensive and central midfields I listed and 2 to 3 of the offensive ones. I also think Rodrygo will be used here, depending on how Dorival lines up.
Last segment: Forwards. I wanted to get this in before Champions League matches. Things can change a lot between now and March 1 because of CL and League matches. And even after the convocação things can change due to injury. This is also a position where there are a ton of potential fringe call-ups. One thing that counts against Brazilian players in March is that they are playing "estaduais". Some players in Brazil won't really be on a big stage until the finals and then when the league actually begins. So the easy ones: Vini Jr. 100% on the list. Rodrygo... probably 99%? That leaves 3 to 5 spots (since Rodrygo can be right-wing or ponta-de-lança) and some of those have to be for a center-forward. I think Richarlison will be called up. Unless his streak is now over, I think he gets the call-up. Especially if Dorival throws out 2023. Martinelli is also likely. But already we're beginning to run out of spots. Let me just list as many of the choices that could be on the radar: Raphinha - should be back from injury this week or next. If Dorival wants a wide 4-3-3 he will likely be on the list Gabriel Jesus - out injured this week, but could be preferred to Richarlsion, depending on the coach's preference or could be a back-up for center-forward and right side Vitor Roque - notched a couple of goals now for Barcelona. I don't expect him to be called in yet, but Dorival certainly faced him often in Brazil and maybe that's exactly what Dorival has in mind Endrick - similarly don't think he'll be called in now, in his case because estaduais aren't the biggest stage and because his pré-olímpico was below expectations. But he was there in November and if he is in Dorival's plans, why not? João Pedro - arguably the most in form of our strikers in England, he is doing well very well as a positional 9 Matheus Cunha - Same as above, but with experience on the national team, has started scoring a little more Evanilson - tons of Brazilians are scoring now, and Evanilson has been speculated before Arthur Cabral - seriously, last year it seemed like Brazilian number 9s couldn't score in Europe, this year they can't stop Marcos Leonardo - even the ones who just joined their clubs, like Vitor Roque or Marcos Leonardo Paulinho - back to Brazil, Paulino was called up last year. I think he has a shot Pedro - Dorival could certainly bring in Pedro if he thinks he can rely on him, but I do not see him as a top option right now John Kennedy - another of the many options on this list who can play 9 or support another forward Sávio - one of the few new options as a pure winger, but he could be a back up on either side if Dorival sees himself going 4-3-3 Rodrigo Muniz - OK, I don't think he has a shot, but my point is, Brazilians in Europe are scoring again and that's a good thing! He was with Flamengo, but before Dorival's latest tenure Igor Thiago - OK, now I'm not serious, but he was highlighted as the leading Brazilian scorer in Europe in articles a few weeks back. I don't think he's on the radar though as he plays in the Belgian league. And then there are the Saudi league options, Talisca, Malcom? They'd be surprises, but I mention them because we really have no idea whether Dorival will consider them yet.
In the end, all of that is just rambling and speculation. If you read any of it, I hope it made sense. If you read it all, you have my thanks. But I can only procrastinate for so long, so here's a short final few thoughts: Is there any reason to think we might get some hints before the call-up? I'm hoping that in the next 3 weeks we get some insight into Dorival's plans: Number of Brazilian league players Dorival is in Europe for the next 3 weeks, which is not surprising as that is where most of his team will be. But also, as I said above, the state championships aren't the best stage. So despite the statements made during the press conference, I don't think we'll see tons of names from Brazil. Just as an example, Diniz picked 2 who were "homens de confiança" - Nino and André - and a total of 4 in his first call-up (Veiga and Bento were the others). Veterans vs. renewal If Dorival has any reporters following him for this trip, I'm sure they will ask about who he considers "pilares" and who he expects to count on for leadership, as well as how he plans to bring in new blood and give everyone playing time. But there's also the problem of time. After this call-up the next one is for June friendlies and Copa America. So how does Dorival transition smoothly to what he envisions, or does he just go for it right away? Formation I also hope we'll get some insight into how he's likely to line-up. Not just so I know whether to expect 4 or 6 forwards, but also so we can compare it to the article about his tactical choices and get an idea of how the pieces might fit together. Analyst input I would also like to hear about Dorival's impressions of the current analyst staff. It would be interesting to hear his opinion on the "departamento de seleções" and if it should expand (and how) as well as Rodrigo Caetano and Juan if they are confirmed. But, going back to the analysts, that could give us some insight into the call-up too.
News about the new roles, as well as the youth teams: Ramon Menezes and Branco will be fired from CBF. It's being announced now, before the hiring of Rodrigo Caetano, to let the new director start with a clean slate. Phelipe Leal, U17 coach, will be resigning in order to take a job with André Jardine, in Mexico. A few other names mentioned in the article below. Rodrigo Caetano is expected to meet with Ednaldo on Friday and officially start as director of national teams next week. Juan is still in negotiation for his role. https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...cao-antes-de-anuncio-de-rodrigo-caetano.ghtml
No big standout performances this week in the CL. Beraldo did start, at left-back, where he has been starting a few recent games. He was uneven, though he played better in the second half when he moved to the middle. More big games coming up before the call-up: Palmeiras x Corinthians this weekend and Flamengo x Fluminense next weekend. More CL in Europe this week, as well as league matches for everyone both weekends before the call-up. As far as guys on the radar, Carlos Augusto had a good game today for Inter.
Dorival was in attendance today for Tottenham x Wolves and got to see 3 Brazilians in the Premier League. Matheus Cunha was out injured and Richarlison didn't score, but João Gomes had 2 goals. Hard to imagine he won't be on Dorival's list. Emerson got a rare start and while his team lost, he does have a good sofascore rating, though I didn't get to watch, so I don't know if that was a good reflection of his performance.
Rodrigo Caetano's hiring was made official yesterday: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...ano-e-o-novo-diretor-de-selecoes-da-cbf.ghtml This morning Flamengo confirmed Juan has left to pursue the role at CBF, which he will reportedly start next week as well: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/...assumir-cargo-de-gerente-tecnico-na-cbf.ghtml Meanwhile, Dorival is in europe, was at the Tottenham x Wolves match today as I noted above and will be meeting players and attending matches through next week before coming back for the convocação.
A brief article on the Dorival trip to Europe: https://www.uol.com.br/esporte/fute...aterra-antes-de-1-convocacao-para-selecao.htm
I'm a little surprised that Dorival Jr. won't be at the Porto x Arsenal match this week. I would imagine that makes the chances that a Porto player will be called up fairly small. At least, any new players. Maybe Pepê, already called up once, doesn't depend on that. Gabriel Jesus might be back from injury for this week, but even if he's not, he will almost certainly be back before the call-up. Paquetá is back in training. He didn't play this weekend, but hopefully will be on the field next weekend, before the call-up. Vanderson hasn't played in a couple of weeks, so I looked for news and discovered he is out for 15 days to 3 weeks, so he might be back next week, might not. That could certainly be a factor in his chances. And just for the hell of it, let me throw out some more wildcards since we have no idea what we might get: Arthur (Fiorentina) Andreas Perreira - he and Dorival were together at Flamengo less than 2 months, so I don't think that will be a big factor, but if looking at offensive midfield options, he is one of the most consistent performers. Cauly, Everton Ribeiro, Gilberto - options at Bahia. I wouldn't bet on any of them, but by 2026 Bahia might be one of the clubs in Brazil that is seeing regular call-ups. Still hoping to see an article or interview during (or after) Dorival's tour of Europe providing some insight into how he is thinking about this first call-up.
More about Dorival's trip to Europe: https://www.uol.com.br/esporte/fute...-na-europa-proximidade-e-muito-importante.htm
Alisson, Matheus Cunha and João Pedro will not be available due to injury, per an interview with TN Sports BR Um ponto importante para Liverpool, Wolves e Brighton da entrevista com Dorival Júnior que fiz para a @TNTSportsBR: ele diz que as lesões de Alisson, Matheus Cunha e João Pedro os retira das opções para a convocação aos jogos contra Inglaterra e Espanha.— Fred Caldeira (@fredcaldeira) February 20, 2024 Interview hasn't been posted yet, I'll add it as soon as it is.
Bandsports also got an exclusive interview with Dorival. No real insight into who he might call up, it was mostly generic questions. About how he will play, he said that will depend on who's available for any given call-up. Here is the full interview. If you click on the channel name you can also find some shorter clips, but they are all contained in the same interview.
Interview with Rodrigo Caetano https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...-resgate-de-identificacao-com-a-selecao.ghtml He held a press conference for his departure from Atlético-MG and answered questions about his CBF role. It's very general, but the TLDR isn't just "it's early, I'm just listening/absorbing things" he does talk a little about how he sees his role and general ideas of what he plans to do.
The interview with TNT Sports BR was posted to youtube today: A general interview, that doesn't actually give as much insight into the call-up as some of the previews might have suggested. He does explicitly mention some names as out due to injury (as in the tweet above). As for names that are in, I think the only one you can conclude from the interview is Paquetá. There are other 100% safe bets (like Vini, for example) but I say that based on the player and expectations, not based on the interview.
https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/...almeiras-para-gerente-geral-de-selecoes.ghtml Rodrigo Caetano is building an internal structure for the national teams and is looking to hire Cícero Souza, from Palmeiras, as a "gerente geral de seleções". Rodrigo Caetano, per his interviews, including the one above, will be focused on the men's national teams.